Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-02-12


gaming, even though some games may be
made to pay over a part of their revenue
to the cities of California. That mere fact
of division of the wages of vice, let it be
kept in view cuts no figure, really, in the
case.
THE LOTTERY CRAZE IN CALIFORNIA.
In 1869 the sale of lottery tickets in Gu
ban, Kentucky, Bavarian, French and Aus
trian schemes was carried to such an extent
that when the Mercantile Library of San
Francisco got into close corner financial
ly, it found lottery gamblers sufficient to
aid it in debauching the Legislature of the
State, and induce it to defy the Constitu-
ton and the laws, and give that institution
q license to set up and carry on lottery,
with 100000 as the capital prize. Even the
Courts were paralyZed and held in check,
and the great gamble" went booming on
At that time, mark it, lottery dealing and
card and other gambling was rife through
out the State. Not since, at any time, has
there been so much gambling. Comparing
the later days with the Sc, gambling may be
said to be wholly suppressed now. Since
then public sentiment has put its heel
upon the infamy, and though here and
there in hiding places it breathes, it is IN
der ban stronger and more influential
generally than at any time in the past
This sentiment, conserved instead of re-
buked by the Legislature, will in due time
bring this people to the time when vigor-
Gus suppression everywhere in the State
will be fact. AS soon as the Mercantile
Library got its scheme well on wheels,
HOSTS OF OTHER SCHEMES
Cropped up all over the State and lotteries
were thicker than the flowers of spring"
Towns and cities went into lottery gam
bling; men who would, a few weeks be-
fore have resented with blow the prophesy
that they would ever deal policy" were
up to their ears in promoting lottery
schemes. Even old gamblers stood aghast,
the press was struck dumb for time (pos-
sibly fat advertising had something to do
with it), and all the State went on a gam
bling spree, such, let us hope, as never
again will disgrace any community on
earth. As soon as it could catch its breath
the Bee, under the leadership of its late
lamented chief, whose perception of the
ills of gambling was clear, and who did not
demand that lotteries be legitimatized, lifted
up its voice in protest. In all it said on
that subject during months there was not a
single suggestion that the right thing to do
was to compromise with the vice Had
the bill to prohibit lottery advertising, now
before the Legislature, been then advanced
to make effective the law, our contempo-
rary, under its then management, would
have cried amen, and have given the
worthy effort g a lift toward success.
WITH THE EXPERIENCE
OF lottery gambling RUNNING rampant in
the State and all the terrible evils that fol-
lowed in its train, the Bee said [of course
we cannot reproduce articles in full, but we
give salient expressions, and omit nothing
that is needed as expository of the spiri, ],
October 81, 1870: This is lottery day, and
100000 people are anxious. Many have
invested largely of their small means in
this scheme, and we fear that some of the
non-successful ones-and they will be
quite numerous-may be impelled to sui
eide through disappointment, and we
should not wonder if the winners of
several of the largest prizes shall be ruined
thereby.
November 2, 1870, again-no demand for
license then: "The drawing is over. and
whoever has not drawn q Lrize is disap-
pointed. Morally, it was bad scheme,
but financially it was success. From all
accounts. it were better that the Mercantile
Library of San FRANCISCO had been given
to the flames, and had gone the way of the
Strasburg and Alexandrian Libraries, than
than that this lottery should have been
held. But what care the Christian gentle
men who, by their bad management, got it
in debt, about morals if they can get the
cash ~
1T APPROVED
The same day ii quoted from our columns
bitter denunciation of the lottery fever
and approved it. The same day it quoted
land applauded) from the Mgysyille DIP.
peal severe leader denouncU.g the lottery
In that quotation the Appeal referred to the
lottery having been openei with prayer by
! minister of God and by readings from The
Bible, and said that hereafter the faro deal
ers proposed to weW white chokers, oper